An Evening Interrupted
by zizza24
Summary: An author's party brings old friends Rick Castle and Timothy McGee together, and suddenly both teams are racing against the clock to solve a family murder.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own any part or NCIS or Castle. The original characters are my own creation, as well as the plot line. Enjoy! **

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><p>"Abby, he's never going to let me go."<p>

"But McGee, this is a huge honor!" Abby exclaimed. "You have to go."

Tim shook his head. "No, it's fine. I need to be here."

"McGee," Abby began but was interrupted by Tony and Ziva entering the lab. "Hey guys."

"Gibbs wants to know what we've got from the slugs," Tony announced but Abby was still staring at Tim. "Is there something we need to know?"

Abby groaned. "McGee won't ask for a few days off to fly to New York where he is being honored for _Deep Six._"

"Do you get a special award, McGee?" Ziva asked.

He nodded. "But it's nothing special. They can just send me the award."

"Send what award, McGee?"

The four of them jumped as their boss entered the lab, a Caf-Pow in one hand and a coffee cup in the other.

"Hey Gibbs," Abby said as Gibbs moved closer to them, a skeptical look on his face. "I don't have anything yet from the slugs."

"What about the prints on his belt buckle?" he asked, moving his stare from Tim to Ziva to Tony and back.

"Um, I found Janson's prints and one other set which belonged to his wife, Kelsey," Abby stated. "Either he forgot how to put his belt on that morning or he was getting lucky before work."

Abby stopped talking as she noticed Gibbs standing directly in front of Tim. "Do you have something you need to discuss with me, Agent McGee?"

Tim shook his head, but Abby couldn't help herself. "McGee is supposed to be accepting an award for his book in New York but he didn't want to ask for time off."

"Is this the book you wrote about us?"

Tony held back his laugh as Tim slowly nodded his head. "Yes, boss."

"You should go. Do you need a date?" Gibbs asked.

Tim smiled. "Is that an offer, boss?"

But Gibbs failed to see the humor. "I was going to say you should take Abby but I'm sure I can find something here for you both to stay and do."

"No!" they both exclaimed.

Now, Gibbs smiled. "Good, but you don't get to leave until we solve this case. So get to work."

Gibbs left and Tony and Ziva followed closely behind, but McGee kept his spot next to Abby. "So, Mr. Gemcity, what exactly does this weekend entail?"

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><p>"Beckett."<p>

"How would you like to be my date this weekend to a lovely awards ceremony at the Four Seasons?"

She smiled at how unexcited he sounded. "I thought you were taking Alexis?"

Rick sighed. "She and my mother decided a girl's weekend in DC was more important. So are you in or no?"

"When should I be ready?"

"I will be at your apartment at four this afternoon. And make sure you have enough fancy clothes for three days. There are all kinds of activities planned."

Kate smiled again. "I'll see you at four." She hung up her phone and stood up from her oversized chair, leaving her signed copy of _Naked Heat_ open on the arm of the chair before she walked down the hardwood floor barefoot towards her bedroom, searching frantically through her closet for clothes to pack.

Two hours later, the doorbell rang to her apartment and she put her book down in the same spot to answer the door. She pulled the door open and found Rick standing in the hall, his signature grin on his face. "Are you ready?"

She nodded and grabbed her suitcase before heading out the door. "So what will this weekend entail?"

Rick smiled as he opened the door for her. "Tonight, there is a mixer for all of the authors being honored and their dates. Tomorrow, there is brunch, book signing and panels for fans and then dinner in the ballroom. And Sunday, there is the award ceremony at 3."

"Sounds exciting," Kate said. "I wonder what people will think when they find out you brought the real Nikki Heat to this writer's weekend."

He laughed as he put the key in the ignition, stating the car. "They are going to love it."

It wasn't a long drive to the hotel for them. They pulled into the parking loop, a concierge rushing to open Kate's door first and then Rick's. Another concierge unloaded their bags from the trunk and placed them on a cart, wheeling it behind Kate and Rick to the main lobby.

"Checking in," Rick said as they approached the front desk, a petite blonde with a nametag that read 'Savannah' standing at the computer.

"Mr. Castle?" Savannah asked and Rick nodded. "Here are your keys. You're in room 4325, if you take the West elevators up to the fourth floor, the room will be down the hall on your right. Your itinerary for the weekend is in your room, as well as a contact sheet for the hotel in case you need anything."

Rick smiled at the young girl. "Thank you." They followed the same young concierge who gathered their suitcases to the elevator on the opposite side of the lobby, where they waited silently for the doors to open. They all stepped off the elevator to the fourth floor and walked down the hallway, still silent, until they ended in front of room 4325. Rick handed the concierge a $20 bill from his pocket as he pulled the card key out, ready to unlock the door.

"Your room awaits, my lady," Rick announced as he swung the door open, revealing the $700 a night room to a smiling Kate.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed Chapter 1! Alas, here is chapter 2 :) Again, read and enjoy. And no, I do not own NCIS or Castle. But the musings are mine. **

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><p>"McGee, does this look okay?"<p>

Abby stood in the bathroom doorway, smoothing out her long black dress, which ended just above the floor, most likely due to the three inch heels she was wearing. Tim turned around on the bed to look at her and couldn't help but smile. "You look beautiful, Abby."

A smile that mirrored the one on Tim's face appeared on Abby's. "Thank you," she said. "And thank you for bringing me as your date."

"It is my pleasure," Tim replied. "And for the record, I was going to ask you before Gibbs suggested it."

Abby smiled at Tim and then linked her arm through his. "I'm ready to have the time of my life," she said with a huge grin on her face.

They left their room and began walking down the hall when another couple exited their room just in front of Abby and Tim.

Suddenly, Abby hit Tim on the arm. "McGee, that's Rick Castle!" she quietly shouted. "You didn't tell me he was going to be here," she said and then hit him again.

"Ow! I didn't know he was going to be here," Tim explained and Abby hit him for a third time. "Will you stop hitting me?"

"Do you know him?"

Tim nodded. "I've met Rick a few times."

As Tim finished his statement, Rick and his date turned around and Rick smiled. "Magoo!"

"Rick!" Tim exclaimed as he and Abby approached. "How are you?"

He sighed. "Tired. Research for the new series is time consuming. It is not easy being a cop. And speaking of, this is Detective Kate Beckett, the inspiration behind..."

But Abby cut him off. "Nikki Heat! I'm a huge fan, Mr. Castle."

"Uh, Rick, this is Abby Sciuto, our forensics specialist in DC," Tim said.

Rick smiled at Abby, who now looked like she had lost the ability to speak. "Please, call me Rick. Kate, this is Timothy McGee. He is an NCIS agent and moonlights as a bestselling author."

Kate smiled. "It's nice to meet you both."

"Hey," Rick said as they all loaded onto the elevator, "do you guys have dinner table partners?"

Tim shook his head. "Well, you do now," Rick said as the double doors closed in front of them, the elevator moving downwards in a timely manner. "I don't want to be stuck with some no-names like last year."

They waited for the doors to open up into the main lobby, which was now filled with a crowd of people, waiters with trays of champagne glasses and finger foods, and a DJ with speakers bigger than the entire group.

"Jeez, Castle, authors sure know how to throw parties," Katie said as they claimed a table and then immediately hit the open bar. After making their rounds, Kate and Abby standing to the side as Rick and Tim talked with old friends; they made their way back to the table to wait for the buffet to open.

Kate began to ask Abby a question when suddenly Rick asked, "What are Bonnie and Clyde doing here?"

Kate turned to search for where Rick's eyes were focused and noticed Ryan and Esposito walking quickly towards the table. They finally arrived and Kate laughed at Rick's question. "What's so funny?" Esposito asked.

She shook her head. "What's up?"

"We just got a call about a three-person murder. Two males, one female. All three were killed the same exact way and one of the men is a marine," Ryan explained and both Abby and Tim perked at the mention of marines.

"Is NCIS on the scene?" Tim asked.

Esposito shook his head. "The local team is on location somewhere and can't be back until tomorrow afternoon. We've been ordered to keep the victim under wraps until they return."

Then, Kate looked at Tim and Abby. "Let's go. You two have permission to examine the marine."

They all stood up and headed for the door just as the waiters began to wheel out the food trays. Rick watched the trays as the rest of the group walked out to the cars.

"Lanie, what do we got?"

Lanie stood up from her crouched position over the female victim and looked from her notepad to Kate's face. "Six gunshot wounds, two in each body. One in the heart, one in the temple. They're all through and through."

"Any ID?" Tim and Kate asked at the same time.

"Corporal Gavin Moore, his brother Travis Moore, and their sister Grace Moore. Seems to be a family affair," Lanie said and then turned to face Kate again. "Who are your friends?"

Kate turned back to see Tim taking notes and Abby observing. "This is Special Agent Tim McGee and Forensics Specialist Abby Sciuto. They're members of NCIS from DC here for the author party."

Tim smiled and shook Lanie's hand. "Any evidence left behind?"

Lanie crouched back down and Tim followed her lead, Kate following his move. "We found a gun lying next to Grace's body, but from what I've seen, it doesn't match the GSW's."

"There was a fourth person who escaped," Rick said as he stood over them.

"Most likely, but until I find time to run ballistics, we won't know if he or she escaped unscathed," Lanie explained.

"Neighbor says she heard gun shots but didn't open her door so she's not sure if someone left the apartment," Esposito reported.

Ryan continued. "There are no security personnel in the lobby, but there are cameras. The landlord says he can get us tapes tomorrow."

Kate stood back up. "And there are no other bullet holes anywhere in the apartment?"

Esposito shook his head. "Not yet, but you'll be the second to know."

"Excellent," she said before turning to Tim, who had stood up as well. "Agent McGee, feel free to contact your team in DC. We're gonna need a few extra bodies on this case."

McGee nodded and walked away as he held his phone to his ear. "Abby?" Kate called and Abby moved closer. "When we get everything back to the precinct, would you mind helping Lanie out?"

"Not at all," Abby said. "I'm more than happy to help."

"My team, uh, the team will be here in the morning," McGee said as he returned. "Where should we start?"


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sooooo sorry about the delay. I've been busy for a while with the end of school and starting up my new jobs. To whomever continues to read the story, thank you. It means a lot to know I have so many interested readers. And I hope to have the next few chapters up in a short amount of time. **

**Again, I don't own NCIS or Castle nor do I own the characters. Enjoy!**

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><p>Kate stood staring at the white board in front of her, wishing they had more information about the murder. But Abby had been working all night with the forensics and Lanie had started the autopsies, leaving Corporal Moore for McGee's team to examine.<p>

"Have we heard anything from Lanie?" Kate asked and Ryan and Esposito both shook their heads. "Abby?"

McGee now shook his head. "All she said is that the sibling fingerprints are on everything. But the fourth set they found is still a mystery."

Kate turned to look at him. "And your team?"

"Should be here any minute," he replied. As he finished his sentence, a mass of sound erupted from the elevator. "And there they are."

Kate and her team watched as the remaining five members of Team Gibbs made their way across the precinct, bags and equipment in hand.

"Special Agent Gibbs," Gibbs announced as he extended his hand and Kate accepted. "Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, Probationary Agent Ziva David, my ME, Dr. Donald Mallard and his assistant, Jimmy Palmer."

Kate smiled. "Detective Kate Beckett," she began. "Detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito, and tag-along author, Richard Castle."

"You wrote Heat Wave?" Ziva suddenly asked and every head turned to look at her, a large smile on Rick's face.

"Special Agent Gibbs, why don't I take you down to see our medical examiner, Lanie Parish," Kate said, trying to go back to the case. "Dr. Mallard, she's left Corporal Moore for you."

Ducky smiled. "Please, call me Ducky," he said. "Mr. Palmer, grab the bags please?"

Jimmy quickly grabbed the bags and followed Kate, along with Gibbs and Ducky, to the elevator. "McGee, where is Abby?" Ziva asked.

"With Lanie. She's been running ballistics and prints all night," McGee explained.

"So what do we got?" Tony asked as he and Ziva stood in front of the board.

"Three vics," Esposito began. "Corporal Gavin Moore, brother Travis and sister Grace. Each victim had two GSW's. One to the head, one to the heart, all in the exact same spots. The sister was found with a gun in her hand but Abby's ninety-nine percent positive it wasn't the one used for the murders."

Ziva looked at Esposito. "Was it fired?"

Ryan nodded and continued. "Which means we have someone running around the city with a gunshot wound?"

"Well, I'm sure he or she isn't running but that's good news," Tony said. "Have hospitals been contacted?"

McGee nodded. "Nothing yet, but they've been advised to contact us if someone shows up."

"So we have no leads?" Tony questioned.

"Just an unidentified set of prints," Rick answered. "Nothing else."

Then Esposito's phone rang. "Esposito. Right away." He closed his phone and looked at the group. "Lanie found something."

They all walked towards the elevator, Ziva noticing Tony as he looked around, smiling. "Flashing back, Tony?"

"Oh yeah," he said."These white boards and cramped quarters take me back." Ziva smiled. "Plus we never had cops in Baltimore that looked like Beckett."

Ziva hit his right arm as the elevator doors opened. Everyone boarded except Tony, who stopped when Rick held his hand out. "Sorry, not enough room. You'll have to wait."

The doors closed and Tony stood alone, looking around the precinct, trying to act natural, until the elevator returned empty.

"The skin underneath Travis' fingernails doesn't match his siblings," Lanie explained as Tony walked through the door, suddenly all eyes on him.

"You're late, DiNozzo."

He quickly glanced at Castle and then back at his boss. "Sorry, boss, I took a wrong turn and lost the group. Won't happen again."

"But we're running the skin against the unidentified prints," Abby continued.

Gibbs turned to Ducky. "Duck, why don't you and Jimmy get started? And call me if you find anything."

"You'll know as soon as we know, Jethro," Ducky said as he and Palmer followed Lanie to where the third body was.

"Detective Beckett," Gibbs began. "Can I get my team into the apartment?"

Kate nodded. "Ryan, Esposito, take Agents David and DiNozzo to the crime scene, please?"

The four of them left and Gibbs turned to McGee. "Was there a computer found?"

"I'm running test on it now," McGee answered. "But it's going to take a while. Corporal Moore did not know the meaning of organization."

"Keep an eye on it and keep my updated," Gibbs said.

McGee nodded at him. "On it, Boss." And then he disappeared to observe the tests. Then, Kate headed for the elevator, followed closely by Rick and Gibbs.

"So the siblings all shared this apartment?" Ziva asked as she took pictures around the crime scene.

Esposito nodded. "Three bedrooms. Can't imagine it's cheap."

"Nothing in New York is," Tony replied. "Especially housing."

Ziva slowly observed the entire living room, noticing family portraits, pictures of children, teenagers and adults, all in front of the same small diner. "Do we have any information about the diner in these pictures?"

Ryan shook his head as he pulled the frames from the wall. "We just thought it was a family thing."

"We can take them back to the precinct," Tony said. "Abby and McGee can run the pictures and hopefully get us an address. Whoever owns the diner might be able to give us more information."

"We have to be missing something," Ziva said as she spun slowly in circles, looking for nothing in particular. "Nothing was broken. There's no blood trail. Where was the 4th victim shot in order to not leave a trail?"

Tony continued. "There was barely a struggle. It's almost as if they knew their killer."

"So why would they let him or her shoot? Why didn't one of them stop the killer?" Ziva questioned.

"Maybe there wasn't enough time," Tony answered. "Maybe the shots came one right after another. Two, two, two. No breaks, no time to think."

"You two sound like Castle and Beckett," Esposito said and Tony and Ziva glanced at him.

Ryan smiled. "You guys even glare like they do."

Tony smiled now. "Speaking of them, are they a couple? Because they give off the couple vibe."

"You mean like you and Ziva?" Ryan questioned.

Suddenly, Tony's smile faded. "Have we found any bullet holes yet?"

Both men shook their heads. "There's nothing. It's like you said, something's missing."

"Well, then let's try to find out what it is," Ziva said as she grabbed the camera and headed for the door, the three men following her.


End file.
